Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing apparatus and evaporation system

ABSTRACT

An amount of particles generated when a source material is used is suppressed. A substrate is loaded into a process chamber, and the source material is sequentially flowed into an evaporator, and a mist filter constituted by assembling a plurality of at least two types of plates including holes disposed at different positions to be evaporated and supplied into the process chamber to process the substrate, and then, the substrate is unloaded from the process chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This U.S. non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35U.S.C. §119 of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2012-087838 and2013-025544 filed on Apr. 6, 2012 and Feb. 13, 2013 respectively, in theJapanese Patent Office, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing asemiconductor device, a substrate processing apparatus and anevaporation system, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturinga semiconductor device including a process of processing a semiconductorwafer using liquid source and a substrate processing apparatus and anevaporation system which are exemplarily used therein.

2. Description of the Related Art

A technique of forming a film on a substrate using liquid source isdisclosed in Patent Document 1 as one process of processes ofmanufacturing a semiconductor device.

RELATED ART DOCUMENT Patent Document

-   Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-28094

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

When substrate processing such as film-forming is performed using liquidsource, a source gas, which is gasified by evaporating the liquidsource, is used. However, when a film is formed on a semiconductor waferusing such a source material, particles may be generated on the waferdue to bad evaporation. In addition, the evaporated source gas may bereliquefied such that the liquid source cannot be efficiently suppliedinto a process chamber.

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a method ofmanufacturing a semiconductor device, a substrate processing apparatus,and an evaporation system that are capable of suppressing an amount ofparticles generated when liquid source is used and efficientlyevaporating liquid source to supply the evaporated fuel into a processchamber.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (a) loading asubstrate into a process chamber; (b) evaporating a source material bysequentially flowing the source material to an evaporator and a mistfilter including one or more first plates and one or more second plates;(c) supplying the source material evaporated in the step (b) into theprocess chamber to process the substrate; and (d) unloading thesubstrate from the process chamber, wherein each of the one or morefirst plates includes one or more first holes, and each of the one ormore second plates includes one or more second holes disposed atdifferent positions from those of the one or more first holes.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber configuredto accommodate a substrate; a process gas supply system configured tosupply a process gas into the process chamber; and an exhaust systemconfigured to exhaust the process chamber, wherein the process gassupply system includes: an evaporator configured to receive a sourcematerial; and a mist filter disposed at a downstream side of theevaporator, and including one or more first plates and one or moresecond plates, wherein each of the one or more first plates includes oneor more first holes, and each of the one or more second plates includesone or more second holes disposed at different positions from those ofthe one or more first holes.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is providedan evaporation system including: an evaporator configured to receive asource material; and a mist filter disposed at a downstream side of theevaporator and including one or more first plates and one or more secondplates, wherein each of the one or more first plates includes one ormore first holes, and each of the one or more second plates includes oneor more second holes disposed at different positions from those of theone or more first holes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for describing a conventional source materialsupply system for the purpose of comparison;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for describing a source material supplysystem of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for describing a mist filterexemplarily used in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view for describing the mistfilter exemplarily used in the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view for describing the mistfilter exemplarily used in the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a view for describing a status of particles when theconventional source material supply system is used;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing a flowvelocity distribution in the mist filter exemplarily used in theexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing a pressuredistribution in the mist filter exemplarily used in the exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing a temperaturedistribution in the mist filter exemplarily used in the exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C are schematic cross-sectional views fordescribing a variant of the mist filter exemplarily used in theexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C are schematic cross-sectional views fordescribing a variant of the mist filter exemplarily used in theexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are schematic cross-sectional views for describing avariant of the mist filter exemplarily used in the exemplary embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view for describinga substrate processing apparatus of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic horizontal cross-sectional view taken along lineA-A of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a controllerincluded in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for describing a process of manufacturing azirconium oxide film using the substrate processing apparatus of theexemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 17 is a timing chart for describing a process of manufacturing azirconium oxide film using the substrate processing apparatus of theexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Next, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed.

First, a source material supply system exemplarily used in a substrateprocessing apparatus of an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionwill be described.

When the substrate processing such as film-forming or the like isperformed using the liquid source as described above, a source gas,which is gasified by evaporating the liquid source, is used. In order toevaporate the liquid source, (1) raising a temperature, and (2) loweringa pressure are very important. However, in a process of manufacturing asemiconductor device, since various restrictions due to apparatusconfigurations or process conditions are provided, for example, when thetemperature cannot be excessively increased or the pressure cannot besufficiently lowered, it is difficult to form an appropriate evaporationline.

When the processing such as the film-forming is performed on thesemiconductor wafer using the source gas, which is gasified byevaporating the liquid source as described above, particles may begenerated on the wafer or the evaporated gas may be reliquefied. Theinventors have keenly researched these problems and obtained thefollowing knowledge.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the substrate processing apparatus in which a gasfilter 272 a is installed in a gas supply pipe 232 a from an evaporator271 a configured to evaporate the liquid source to a process chamber201, the gas filter 272 a can collect droplets or particles which arecaused to be badly evaporated from the evaporator 271 a or particlesfrom the gas supply pipe 232 a. In addition, a heater 150 may beinstalled at the gas supply pipe 232 a from the evaporator 271 a to theprocess chamber 201 to heat the source gas passing through the gassupply pipe 232 a.

However, when the liquid source that cannot be easily evaporated by theevaporator 271 a (a vapor pressure is low) is used or a requiredevaporation flow rate is high, the particles or the droplets due to badevaporation cannot be completely collected by the gas filter 272 a. Whenthe film-forming is performed in this state, as shown in FIG. 6,particles are increased on a wafer 200. In addition, the gas filter 272a may be clogged and become a particle source. Further, when theclogging occurs, the filter of the gas filter 272 a should be replacedwith a new one.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, the inventors proposed installing amist filter (mist killer) 300 at the gas supply pipe 232 a between theevaporator 271 a and the gas filter 272 a. In addition, the heater 150is installed at the gas supply pipe 232 a from the evaporator 271 a tothe process chamber 201 to heat the source gas passing through the gassupply pipe 232 a.

Referring to FIG. 3, the mist filter 300 includes a mist filter mainbody 350, and a heater 360 installed outside the mist filter main body350 and configured to cover the mist filter main body 350.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the mist filter main body 350 of the mistfilter 300 includes end plates 310 and 340 of both ends, and two typesof plates 320 and 330 disposed between the end plates 310 and 340. Thetwo types of plates 320 and 330 include a first plate 320 and a secondplate 330. A joint 312 is installed at the end plate 310 of an upstreamside. A joint 342 is installed at the end plate 340 of a downstreamside. A gas path 311 is disposed in the end plate 310 and the joint 312.A gas path 341 is disposed in the end plate 340 and the joint 342. Thejoint 312 and the joint 342 (the gas path 311 and the gas path 341) areconnected to the gas supply pipe 232 a.

Each of the two types of plates 320 and 330 is installed in plural andalternately disposed between the end plates 310 and 340. The plate 320includes a flat plate section 328, and an outer circumferential section329 disposed at an outer circumference of the plate section 328. Aplurality of holes 322 are disposed in the plate section 328 only nearthe outer circumference thereof. The plate 330 includes a flat platesection 338, and an outer circumferential section 339 disposed at anouter circumference of the plate section 338. A plurality of holes 332are disposed in the plate section 338 only near a center thereof (i.e.,at different positions from the positions at which the holes 322 aredisposed in the plate section 328). The mist filter 300 is constitutedby assembling the plates 320 and the plates 330.

The plates 320 and the plates 330 have the same or substantially thesame shape except for formation positions of the holes 322 and 332. Theflat plate section 328 and the plate section 338 have circular shapeswhen seen in a plan view, and have the same or substantially the sameshape except for formation positions of the holes 322 and 332. The holes322 are disposed on concentric circles around the outer circumference ofthe plate section 328. The holes 332 are disposed in concentric circlesaround a center of the plate section 338. Here, the circles in which theholes 322 are disposed and the circles in which the holes 332 aredisposed have different radii. Specifically, the radii of the circles inwhich the holes 322 are disposed are larger than those of the circles inwhich the holes 332 are disposed. On other words, a region of the platesection 328 in which the holes 322 are disposed is different from aregion of the plate section 338 in which the holes 332 are formed. Theregions are disposed not to overlap each other in a stacking directionwhen the plates 320 and the plates 330 are alternately disposed (stackedor assembled). As the plates 320 and 330 are alternately disposed asdescribed above, the holes 322 and the holes 332 are disposed to bedeviated from an upstream side toward a downstream side of the mistfilter 300. That is, the holes 322 and the holes 332 are disposed not tooverlap each other from the upstream side to the downstream side of themist filter 300.

The outer circumferential sections 329 and 339 of the plates 320 and 330are thicker than the plate sections 328 and 338. As the outercircumferential sections 329 and 339 come in contact with the outercircumferential sections 329 and 339 of the adjacent plates, a space (tobe described below) is disposed between the plate sections 328 and 338.In addition, the outer circumferential sections 329 and 339 are disposedat positions offset with respect to the plate sections 328 and 338. Thatis, a stepped portion is disposed between side surfaces of the outercircumferential sections 329 and 339 and side surfaces of the platesections 328 and 338. More specifically, one surface of the outercircumferential sections 329 and 339 (one surface in the stackingdirection of the plate 320 and the plate 330) protrudes from planes ofthe plate sections 328 and 338, and the other surface of the outercircumferential sections 329 and 339 is disposed on edge sections of theplate sections 328 and 338. Accordingly, when the plates 320 and theplates 330 are stacked, the outer circumferential section 329 of theplate 320 is inserted into the edge section of the plate section 338 ofthe plate 330, the outer circumferential section 339 of the plate 330 isinserted into the edge section of the plate section 328 of the plate320, and thus the plates 320 and 330 are correspondingly coupled to eachother.

As the plates 320 and 330 are alternately disposed as described above, agas path 370 may become complicated, and probability of collidingdroplets generated due to bad evaporation or reliquefaction with heatedwall surfaces (the plate sections 328 and 338) may be increased. Inaddition, the size of the holes 322 and 332 is set depending on apressure in the mist filter main body 350, which is preferably adiameter of 1 to 3 mm. A basis of the lower limit value is that theholes are clogged when the size of the holes is too small. In addition,in the holes 332 disposed in the plate 330, the size of the holesdisposed at the center may be smaller than that of the holes disposedaround the center.

The source gas gasified by evaporating the liquid source using theevaporator 271 a (see FIG. 2) and the droplets generated due to badevaporation or reliquefaction are introduced into the mist filter mainbody 350 through the gas path 311 in the end plate 310 and the joint312, and collide with a center portion 421 (a portion in which the holes322 are not formed) of the plate section 328 of the one first plate 320.Then, they pass through the holes 322 disposed near the outercircumference of the plate section 328 and collide with an outercircumferential section 432 (a portion in which the holes 332 are notformed) of the flat plate section 338 of the second plate 330. Then,they pass through the holes 332 disposed near the center of the platesection 338 and collide with a center portion 422 (a portion in whichthe holes 322 are not formed) of the plate section 328 of the otherfirst plate 320. Then, in the same method as described above, theysequentially pass the plates 330 and 320 to be ejected from the mistfilter main body 350 through the gas path 341 in the end plate 340 andthe joint 342, and are delivered to the gas filter 272 a (see FIG. 2) ofthe downstream side.

The mist filter main body 350 is heated by the heater 360 (see FIG. 3)from the outside. The mist filter main body 350 includes the firstplates 320 and the second plates 330, the first plate 320 includes theflat plate section 328 and the outer circumferential section 329disposed at the outer circumference of the plate section 328, and thesecond plate 330 includes the flat plate section 338 and the outercircumferential section 339 disposed at the outer circumference of theplate section 338. Since the plate section 328 and the outercircumferential section 329 are integrally formed and the plate section338 and the outer circumferential section 339 are integrally formed,when the mist filter main body is heated by the heater 360 from theoutside, the heat is efficiently transferred to the flat plate sections328 and 338. In addition, even if the plate section 328 and the outercircumferential section 329 are not integrally formed but are in fullcontact with each other, or if the plate section 338 and the outercircumferential section 339 are not integrally formed but are in fullcontact with each other, the heat from the heater 360 is alsosufficiently transferred to the plate sections 328 and 338 efficiently.

In the mist filter main body 350, since the gas path 370 is configuredto be complicated by the first plates 320 and the second plates 330 asdescribed above, probability of the evaporated source gas and thedroplets generated due to bad evaporation or reliquefaction collidingwith the heated plate sections 328 and 338 can be increased withoutexcessively increasing pressure loss in the mist filter main body 350.In addition, the droplets generated due to bad evaporation orreliquefaction collide with the heated plate sections 328 and 338 in themist filter main body 350 having a sufficient calorie and is reheatedand evaporated.

A material of the mist filter main body 350 may have heat conductivityequal to or higher than that of the material used in the evaporator 271a or a pipe 232 a. In addition, the material may have corrosionresistance. Stainless use steel (SUS) may be used as a general material.

While the above description has been given as to a case where each ofthe plates 320 and the plates 330 are provided in plural numbers, it isalso possible that the mist filter main body 350 includes at least oneplate 320 and at least one plate 330. Similarly, although the abovedescription has been given as to a case where each of the holes 322 andthe holes 332 are provided in plural numbers, there may exist at leastone hole 322 and at least one hole 332.

Next, a result of performing analysis of the mist filter main body 350using numerical fluid mechanics analysis software (CFdesign) will bedescribed. Dimensions of the mist filter main body 350, which is ananalysis target, are set such that an outer diameter is 40 mm and anoverall length is 127 mm.

Referring to FIG. 7, the analysis was performed under the condition inwhich nitrogen (N₂) gas of 30° C. was supplied into the mist filter mainbody 350 at 20 slm and a pressure of an outlet side of the mist filtermain body 350 was set as 13300 Pa. The pressure loss was 1500 Pa (seeFIG. 8), and a N₂ gas of 30° C. arrived at 150° C. at a fourth plateamong a first plate of the first plates 320, a first plate of the secondplates 330, a second plate of the first plates 320, and a second plateof the second plates 330 (i.e., the second plate of the second plates330) (see FIG. 9). The analysis was performed to satisfy the conditionthat, while different from an actual condition, was more unfavorablethan the actual condition.

When the mist filter 300 is installed at the gas supply pipe 232 abetween the evaporator 271 a and the gas filter 272 a (see FIG. 2), theliquid source that cannot be easily evaporated or the droplets generateddue to bad evaporation when the evaporation flow rate is large collidewith the wall surface (the plate section 328) of the first plate 320 andthe wall surface (the plate section 338) of the second plate 330 in themist filter 300 having a sufficient calorie and are reheated andevaporated. Then, the droplets due to bad evaporation or the particlesgenerated in the evaporator 271 a and the mist filter 300, whichminutely remain, are collected by the gas filter 272 a just before theprocess chamber 201. The mist filter 300 functions to assist theevaporation, and supply a reaction gas with no droplets or particlesgenerated due to bad evaporation into the process chamber 201 to performthe processing such as good film-forming or the like. In addition, themist filter 300 can function to assist the gas filter 272 a and suppressthe clogging of the gas filter 272 a to reduce maintenance of the gasfilter 272 a or lengthen a filter exchange period of the gas filter 272a.

As described above, the first plate 320 includes the flat plate section328 and the outer circumferential section 329 disposed at the outercircumference of the plate section 328, and the second plate 330includes the flat plate section 338 and the outer circumferentialsection 339 disposed at the outer circumference of the plate section 338(see FIGS. 4 and 5).

In addition, the end plate 310 also includes a flat plate 318 and anouter circumferential section 319 disposed at an outer circumference ofthe plate 318, and the end plate 340 also includes a flat plate 348 andan outer circumferential section 349 disposed at an outer circumferenceof the plate 348 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). Further, spaces 323, 333, 313 and343 are disposed inside the outer circumferential sections 329, 339, 319and 349, respectively (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 10A). In addition, the endplate 310, the end plate 340, the first plate 320 and the second plate330 are adhered to each other, for example, by welding at the outercircumferential sections 319, 349, 329 and 339 thereof to behermetically connected to each other. Further, while the above-mentionedmist filter 300 is configured to include the first plate 320 and thesecond plate 330, the mist filter may include three or more plateshaving different formation positions of holes.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, no member is installed in the spaces313, 323, 333 and 343 (see FIG. 10A). However, when the pressure loss ofthe entire mist filter main body 350 is within an allowable range, asinter metal or the like may be filled in the spaces 313, 323, 333 and343. The filled sintered metal is a material that can efficientlytransfer the heat heated from the outside of the mist filter main body350, and may have any shape such as a spherical shape, a granular shape,a non-linear shape, or the like, as long as the material can be filledinto the spaces 313, 323, 333 and 343. Hereinafter, a variant of theabove-mentioned embodiment will be described.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10B, sintered metals 314, 324 and 334having a spherical shape such as a metal bowl, or the like, may befilled in the spaces 313, 323, and 333 (343). Since the size of thesphere and the pressure loss have a correlation, the size of the sphereis selected according to its purpose.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 10C, sintered metals 315, 325 and 335having a granular shape may be filled in the spaces 313, 323, and 333(343). The sintered metal having the granular shape has a size smallerthan that of the sintered metal having the spherical shape.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11A, sintered metals 316, 326 and 336 used inthe gas filter or the like may be filled in the spaces 313, 323, and 333(343).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 11B, the sintered metal 326 used in thegas filter may be filled in the space 323 only, and no metal may befilled in the spaces 313, 333 and 343. A metal particle size and a fiberform before sintering of the sintered metal used in the gas filter aredetermined by the size of the collected particles. Since a shape thatcan collect more fine particles is densified, the pressure loss is alsoincreased. Accordingly, it may be more effective and preferable for thesintered metal to be selectively filled into some of the spaces 313,323, 333 and 343, rather than all of the spaces 313, 323, 333 and 343.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11C, as the plate section 328 of the firstplate 320 has the holes 322 disposed at only one side of the outercircumference (a portion near the outer circumference) of the platesection 328 and the plate section 338 of the second plate 330 has theholes 332 disposed at only the other side of the outer circumference (aportion near the outer circumference and a position not overlapping theholes 322) of the plate section 338, the gas path 370 may be longer incomparison with the above-mentioned embodiment in which the holes 322are disposed near the outer circumference of the plate section 328 andthe holes 332 are disposed near the center of the plate section 338. Inaddition, in the embodiment, the same plates are used as the first plate320 and the second plate 330 but may be stacked not to overlap theholes.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 12A, the mist filter main body 350includes an outer vessel 380 having a cylindrical shape, an inner member385, and a filling member 386 such as a sintered metal or the likefilled in a gas path 382 disposed between the outer vessel 380 and theinner member 385. As the gas path 382 disposed between the outer vessel380 and the inner member 385 is filled with the filling member 386 suchas the sintered metal or the like, the entire mist filter main body 350may be integrated such that the heat can be effectively transferred tothe inner member 385. The outer vessel 380 and the inner member 385 maybe made of, preferably, a metal member, and more preferably, stainlessused steel (SUS).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 12B, the mist filter main body 350includes the outer vessel 380 having a cylindrical shape, the innermember 385, and the filling member 386 such as the sintered metal or thelike filled in the gas path 382 disposed between the outer vessel 380and the inner member 385. In a structure shown in FIG. 12A, while theentire gas path 382 disposed between the outer vessel 380 and the innermember 385 is filled with the filling member 386 such as the sinteredmetal or the like, in a structure shown in FIG. 12B, a space between aside surface 389 of the cylindrical outer vessel 380 and the innermember 385 in the gas path 382 disposed between the outer vessel 380 andthe inner member 385 is filled with the filling member 386, and a spacebetween an upper surface and a lower surface of the cylindrical outervessel 380 and the inner member 385 is not filled with the fillingmember 386. Even in this case, the entire mist filter main body 350 maybe integrated such that the heat can be effectively transferred to theinner member 385. The outer vessel 380 and the inner member 385 may bemade of, preferably, a metal member, and more preferably, stainless usedsteel (SUS).

In a variant of the above-mentioned embodiment, stainless used steel(SUS) may be used as the sintered metal filled in the spaces 313, 323,333 and 343 or the gas path 382. Otherwise, nickel (Ni) may be used. Inaddition, a Teflon (a registered trademark)-based material or ceramicsmay be used instead of the sintered metal.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the pipe 232 a is installed between theevaporator 271 a and the mist filter 300, and the evaporator 271 a andthe mist filter 300 are separately installed. Since the process chamber201 is reduced in pressure and the mist filter 300 is installed closerto the process chamber 201 than the evaporator 271 a, the mist filter300 is installed at a lower pressure side than the evaporator 271 a.Since the gas flows toward the low pressure side, separation of theevaporator 271 a and the mist filter 300 may provide a fore flow periodof the gas from the evaporator 271 a toward the mist filter 300. As aresult, the gas can collide with the plate 320 and the plate 330 in themist filter 300 at a higher flow velocity.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the mist filter 300 is installed at adownstream side of the evaporator 271 a, the gas filter 272 a isinstalled at a downstream side thereof, and the gas filter 272 a isconnected to the process chamber 201 via the pipe 232 a. The mist filter300 and the gas filter 272 a may be installed as close to the processchamber 201 as possible. This is because the pressure in the mist filter300 can be further reduced due to the pressure loss of the pipe 232 afrom the evaporator 271 a to the process chamber 201 as they areinstalled near the process chamber 201. As the pressure in the mistfilter 300 is further reduced, the evaporation can be easily performedand the bad evaporation can be suppressed.

The substrate processing apparatus of the exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The substrate processing apparatus is exemplarily configuredas a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus configured to perform afilm-forming process, which is a substrate processing process of amethod of manufacturing an integrated circuit (IC) serving as asemiconductor device. In addition, hereinafter, the case in which abatch type vertical apparatus (which may hereinafter be simply referredto as a processing apparatus) configured to perform oxidation,nitridation, diffusion processing or CVD processing on a substrate isused as the substrate processing apparatus will be described.

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration view of a vertical processingfurnace of the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment, showinga processing furnace 202 in a longitudinal cross-sectional view, andFIG. 14 is a schematic configuration view of the vertical processingfurnace of the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment, showingthe processing furnace 202 in a horizontal cross-sectional view. FIG. 15shows a configuration of a controller included in the substrateprocessing apparatus shown in FIG. 13.

As shown in FIG. 13, the processing furnace 202 includes a heater 207serving as a heating unit (a heating mechanism). The heater 207 has acylindrical shape, and is supported by a heater base (not shown) servingas a holding plate to be vertically installed. A reaction tube 203constituting a reaction vessel (a processing vessel) is installedconcentrically with the heater 207 inside the heater 207.

A seal cap 219 serving as a furnace port cover configured tohermetically seal the lower end opening of the reaction tube 203 isinstalled under the reaction tube 203. The seal cap 219 abuts a lowerend of the reaction tube 203 from a lower side in a vertical direction.The seal cap 219 is made of a metal such as stainless steel or the like,and has a disc shape. An O-ring 220 serving as a seal member configuredto abut the lower end of the reaction tube 203 is installed at the uppersurface of the seal cap 219. A rotary mechanism 267 configured to rotatethe boat is installed at the seal cap 219 opposite to the processchamber 201. A rotary shaft 255 of the rotary mechanism 267 passesthrough the seal cap 219 to be connected to a boat 217 (to be describedbelow), and is configured to rotate the boat 217 to rotate the wafer200. The seal cap 219 is configured to be raised and lowered in thevertical direction by a boat elevator 115 serving as an elevationmechanism vertically installed at the outside of the reaction tube 203,and thus the boat 217 can be loaded and unloaded into/from the inside ofthe process chamber 201.

The boat 217 serving as a substrate holding unit (a holder) isvertically installed at the seal cap 219 via a quartz cap 218 serving asan insulating member. The quartz cap 218 is a holding body made of aheat resistance material such as quartz, silicon carbide, or the like,serving as an insulating section, and configured to hold the boat. Theboat 217 is made of a heat resistance material such as quartz, siliconcarbide, or the like, and configured to concentrically support thewafers 200 in a horizontal posture and in a tube axis direction in amulti-stage.

A nozzle 249 a and a nozzle 249 b are installed in the process chamber201 and under the reaction tube 203 to pass through the reaction tube203. The gas supply pipe 232 a and a gas supply pipe 232 b are connectedto the nozzle 249 a and the nozzle 249 b, respectively. As describedabove, the two nozzles 249 a and 249 b and the two gas supply pipes 232a and 232 b are installed at the reaction tube 203 so that multipletypes of gases can be supplied into the process chamber 201. Inaddition, as will be described below, inert gas supply pipes 232 c and232 e or the like are connected to the gas supply pipe 232 a and the gassupply pipe 232 b, respectively.

The evaporator 271 a serving as an evaporating apparatus (an evaporatingunit) and configured to evaporate the liquid source to generate anevaporated gas serving as a source gas, the mist filter 300, the gasfilter 272 a, a mass flow controller (MFC) 241 a serving as a flow ratecontroller (a flow rate control unit), and a valve 243 a serving as anopening/closing valve are installed at the gas supply pipe 232 a insequence from the upstream direction. As the valve 243 a is opened, theevaporated gas generated in the evaporator 271 a is supplied into theprocess chamber 201 via the nozzle 249 a. A vent line 232 d connected toan exhaust pipe 231 (to be described below) is connected to the gassupply pipe 232 a between the mass flow controller 241 a and the valve243 a.

A valve 243 d serving as an opening/closing valve is installed at thevent line 232 d to supply the source gas to the vent line 232 d via thevalve 243 d when the source gas (to be described below) is not suppliedinto the process chamber 201. As the valve 243 a is closed and the valve243 d is opened, the supply of the evaporated gas into the processchamber 201 can be stopped while maintaining generation of theevaporated gas in the evaporator 271 a. While a predetermined time isneeded to stably generate the evaporated gas, supply/stoppage of theevaporated gas into the process chamber 201 can be switched for anextremely short time by a switching operation of the valve 243 a and thevalve 243 d. In addition, an inert gas supply pipe 232 c is connected tothe gas supply pipe 232 a at a downstream side of the valve 243 a. Amass flow controller 241 c serving as a flow rate controller (a flowrate control unit) and a valve 243 c serving as an opening/closing valveare installed at the inert gas supply pipe 232 c in sequence from theupstream direction. The heater 150 is installed at the gas supply pipe232 a, the inert gas supply pipe 232 c, and the vent line 232 d toprevent reliquefaction.

The above-mentioned nozzle 249 a is connected to the tip section of thegas supply pipe 232 a. The nozzle 249 a is installed to be raised in anarc-shaped space between the inner wall of the reaction tube 203 and thewafer 200 from a lower portion to an upper portion of the inner wall ofthe reaction tube 203 upward in the stacking direction of the wafers200. The nozzle 249 a is constituted as an L-shaped long nozzle. A gassupply hole 250 a configured to supply a gas is installed at a sidesurface of the nozzle 249 a. The gas supply hole 250 a is opened towarda center of the reaction tube 203. The gas supply holes 250 a areinstalled from the lower portion to the upper portion of the reactiontube 203, have the same opening area, and are disposed at the sameopening pitch.

A first gas supply system is mainly constituted by the gas supply pipe232 a, the vent line 232 d, the valves 243 a and 243 d, the mass flowcontroller 241 a, the evaporator 271 a, the mist filter 300, the gasfilter 272 a, and the nozzle 249 a. In addition, a first inert gassupply system is mainly constituted by the inert gas supply pipe 232 c,the mass flow controller 241 c, and the valve 243 c.

An ozonizer 500 serving as an apparatus for generating ozone (O₃) gas, avalve 243 f, a mass flow controller (MFC) 241 b serving as a flow ratecontroller (a flow rate control unit), and a valve 243 b serving as anopening/closing valve are installed at the gas supply pipe 232 b insequence from the upstream direction. An upstream side of the gas supplypipe 232 b is connected to an oxygen gas supply source (not shown)configured to supply oxygen (O₂) gas. The O₂ gas supplied into theozonizer 500 becomes the O₃ gas in the ozonizer 500 to be supplied intothe process chamber 201. A vent line 232 g connected to the exhaust pipe231 (to be described below) is connected to the gas supply pipe 232 bbetween the ozonizer 500 and the valve 243 f. A valve 243 g serving asan opening/closing valve is installed at the vent line 232 g to supplythe source gas to the vent line 232 g via the valve 243 g when the O₃gas is not supplied into the process chamber 201 (to be describedlater). As the valve 243 f is closed and the valve 243 g is opened, thesupply of the O₃ gas into the process chamber 201 can be stopped whilemaintaining generation of the O₃ gas by the ozonizer 500. While apredetermined time is needed to stably refine the O₃ gas, thesupply/stoppage of the O₃ gas into the process chamber 201 can beswitched for an extremely short time by the switching operation of thevalve 243 f and the valve 243 g. In addition, an inert gas supply pipe232 e is connected to the gas supply pipe 232 b at the downstream sideof the valve 243 b. A mass flow controller 241 e serving as a flow ratecontroller (a flow rate control unit) and a valve 243 e serving as anopening/closing valve are installed at the inert gas supply pipe 232 ein sequence from the upstream direction.

The above-mentioned nozzle 249 b is connected to the tip section of thegas supply pipe 232 b. The nozzle 249 b is installed to be raised andlowered in an arc-shaped space between the inner wall of the reactiontube 203 and the wafer 200 from the lower portion to the upper portionof the inner wall of the reaction tube 203 upward in the stackingdirection of the wafers 200. The nozzle 249 b is constituted as anL-shaped long nozzle. A gas supply hole 250 b configured to supply a gasis installed at a side surface of the nozzle 249 b. The gas supply hole250 b is opened toward the center of the reaction tube 203. The gassupply holes 250 b are installed from the lower portion to the upperportion of the reaction tube 203, have the same opening area, and aredisposed at the same opening pitch.

A second gas supply system is mainly constituted by the gas supply pipe232 b, the vent line 232 g, the ozonizer 500, the valves 243 f, 243 gand 243 b, the mass flow controller 241 b, and the nozzle 249 b. Inaddition, a second inert gas supply system is mainly constituted by theinert gas supply pipe 232 e, the mass flow controller 241 e, and thevalve 243 e.

For example, a zirconium source gas, i.e., a gas containing zirconium(Zr) (a zirconium-containing gas), which is a first source gas, issupplied from the gas supply pipe 232 a into the process chamber 201 viathe evaporator 271 a, the mist filter 300, the gas filter 272 a, themass flow controller 241 a, the valve 243 a, and the nozzle 249 a. Forexample, tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)zirconium (TEMAZ) may be used as thezirconium-containing gas. Tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)zirconium (TEMAZ) isa liquid at a normal temperature and a normal pressure.

A gas containing oxygen (O) (an oxygen-containing gas), for example, O₂gas, is supplied into the gas supply pipe 232 b, becomes O₃ gas in theozonizer 500, and is supplied into the process chamber 201 via the valve243 f, the mass flow controller 241 b, and the valve 243 b as anoxidizing gas (oxidant). The O₂ gas serving as the oxidizing gas may besupplied into the process chamber 201 without generating the O₃ gas inthe ozonizer 500.

For example, nitrogen (N₂) gas is supplied from the inert gas supplypipes 232 c and 232 e into the process chamber 201 via the mass flowcontrollers 241 c and 241 e, the valves 243 c and 243 e, the gas supplypipes 232 a and 232 b, the nozzles 249 a and 249 b.

The exhaust pipe 231 configured to exhaust an atmosphere in the processchamber 201 is installed in the reaction tube 203. A vacuum pump 246serving as a vacuum exhaust apparatus is connected to the exhaust pipe231 via a pressure sensor 245 serving as a pressure detector (a pressuredetection unit) configured to detect the pressure in the process chamber201 and an auto pressure controller (APC) valve 244 serving as apressure regulator (a pressure regulation unit) to perform vacuumexhaust so that the pressure in the process chamber 201 arrives at apredetermined pressure (a vacuum level). In addition, the APC valve 244is an opening/closing valve configured to open and close the valve toperform the vacuum exhaust and stop the vacuum exhaust of the inside ofthe process chamber 201 and adjust the valve opening angle to regulatethe pressure. An exhaust system is mainly constituted by the exhaustpipe 231, the APC valve 244, the vacuum pump 246, and the pressuresensor 245.

A temperature sensor 263 serving as a temperature detector is installedin the reaction tube 203, and an electrical connection state to theheater 207 is controlled based on temperature information detected bythe temperature sensor 263 so that the temperature in the processchamber 201 arrives at a desired temperature distribution. Thetemperature sensor 263 has an L shape similar to the nozzles 249 a and249 b, and is installed along the inner wall of the reaction tube 203.

As shown in FIG. 15, a controller 121 serving as a control unit (acontrol means) is constituted as a computer including a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 121 a, a random access memory (RAM) 121 b, amemory device 121 c, and an I/O port 121 d. The RAM 121 b, the memorydevice 121 c and the I/O port 121 d are configured to exchange data withthe CPU 121 a via an internal bus. An input/output device 122constituted as, for example, a touch panel or the like is connected tothe controller 121. In addition, an external memory device (a recordingmedium) 123 on which a program (to be described later) is stored isconnectable to the controller 121.

The memory device 121 c is constituted by, for example, a flash memory,a hard disk drive (HDD), or the like. A control program configured tocontrol an operation of the substrate processing apparatus or a processrecipe on which a sequence or condition of substrate processing (to bedescribed later) is disclosed is readably stored in the memory device121 c. In addition, the control program or the process recipe can bestored in the memory device 121 c by storing the control program or theprocess recipe in an external memory device 123 and connecting theexternal memory device 123 to the controller 121. Further, the processrecipe is assembled to obtain a predetermined result by causing thecontroller 121 to perform the sequences of the following substrateprocessing process, and functions as a program. Hereinafter, the processrecipe or the control program is also generally and simply referred toas a program. In addition, the case in which the terms of the programare recited in the description may include the case in which only theprocess recipe is included, the case in which only the control programis included, and the case in which both are included. Further, the RAM121 b is constituted as a memory region (a work area) in which a programor data read by the CPU 121 a is temporarily held.

The I/O port 121 d is connected to the mass flow controllers 241 a, 241b, 241 c and 241 e, the valves 243 a, 243 b, 243 c, 243 d, 243 e, 243 fand 243 g, the evaporator 271 a, the mist filter 300, the ozonizer 500,the pressure sensor 245, the APC valve 244, the vacuum pump 246, theheaters 150 and 207, the temperature sensor 263, the boat rotarymechanism 267, the boat elevator 115, and so on.

The CPU 121 a is configured to read and perform the control program fromthe memory device 121 c and read the process recipe from the memorydevice 121 c according to an input of an operation command from theinput/output device 122. Then, the CPU 121 a performs a flow ratecontrol operation on various gases by the mass flow controllers 241 a,241 b, 241 c and 241 e, an opening/closing operation on the valves 243a, 243 b, 243 c, 243 d, 243 e, 243 f and 243 g, a pressure regulationoperation based on opening/closing of the APC valve 244 and the pressuresensor 245, a temperature control operation on the heater 150, atemperature control operation on the heater 207 based on the temperaturesensor 263, control on the evaporator 271 a, the mist filter 300 (theheater 360) and the ozonizer 500, start/stoppage on the vacuum pump 246,a rotational speed adjustment operation on the boat rotary mechanism267, an elevation operation on the boat elevator 115, or the like,according to the read process recipe.

Next, a sequence example of forming an insulating film on a substrate,which is one process of processes of manufacturing a semiconductordevice using a processing furnace of the above-mentioned substrateprocessing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and17. In addition, in the following description, operations of therespective parts constituting the substrate processing apparatus arecontrolled by the controller 121.

In a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, for example, multiple typesof gases including a plurality of elements constituting a film aresimultaneously supplied. In addition, a film-forming method ofalternately supplying multiple types of gases including a plurality ofelements constituting a film is also provided.

First, when the wafers 200 are charged into the boat 217 (wafercharging) (see step S101 in FIG. 16), as shown in FIG. 13, the boat 217supporting the wafers 200 is raised by the boat elevator 115 to beloaded into the process chamber 201 (boat loading) (see step S102 inFIG. 16). In this state, the seal cap 219 hermetically seals the lowerend of the reaction tube 203 via the O-ring 220.

The inside of the process chamber 201 is vacuum-exhausted by the vacuumpump 246 to a desired pressure (a vacuum level). Here, the pressure inthe process chamber 201 is measured by the pressure sensor 245, and theAPC valve 244 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure(pressure regulation) (see step S103 in FIG. 16). In addition, theinside of the process chamber 201 is heated by the heater 207 to adesired temperature. Here, an electrical conduction state to the heater207 is feedback-controlled based on temperature information detected bythe temperature sensor 263 such that the inside of the process chamber201 arrives at a desired temperature distribution (temperature control)(see step S 103 in FIG. 16). Next, the boat 217 is rotated by the rotarymechanism 267 to rotate the wafer 200.

Next, as the TEMAZ gas and O₃ gas are supplied into the process chamber201, an insulating film forming process of forming a ZrO film serving asan insulating film is performed (see step S104 in FIG. 16). Thefollowing four steps are sequentially performed in the insulating filmforming process.

(Insulating Film Forming Process)<Step S105>

In step S105 (see FIGS. 16 and 17, a first process), first, the TEMAZgas flows. As the valve 243 a of the gas supply pipe 232 a is opened andthe valve 243 d of the vent line 232 d is closed, the TEMAZ gas flowsinto the gas supply pipe 232 a via the evaporator 271 a, the mist filter300 and the gas filter 272 a. The TEMAZ gas flowing through the gassupply pipe 232 a is flow-rate-controlled by the mass flow controller241 a. The flow-rate-controlled TEMAZ gas is supplied into the processchamber 201 from the gas supply hole 250 a of the nozzle 249 a andexhausted from the gas exhaust pipe 231. Here, simultaneously, the valve243 c is opened and an inert gas such as N₂ gas or the like flows intothe inert gas supply pipe 232 c. The N₂ gas flowing through the inertgas supply pipe 232 c is flow-rate-controlled by the mass flowcontroller 241 c. The flow-rate-controlled N₂ gas is supplied into theprocess chamber 201 and exhausted from the gas exhaust pipe 231 with theTEMAZ gas. The TEMAZ gas is supplied into the process chamber 201 to bereacted with the wafer 200 to form a zirconium-containing layer on thewafer 200. In addition, before performing step S105, the operation ofthe heater 360 of the mist filter 300 is controlled to maintain thetemperature of the mist filter main body 350 at a desired temperature.

Here, the APC valve 244 is appropriately adjusted to regulate thepressure in the process chamber 201 to a pressure within a range of, forexample, 50 to 400 Pa. A supply flow rate of the TEMAZ gas controlled bythe mass flow controller 241 a is set to a flow rate within a range of,for example, 0.1 to 0.5 g/min. A time in which the wafer 200 is exposedto the TEMAZ gas, i.e., a gas supply time (an irradiation time) is setto a time within a range of, for example, 30 to 240 seconds. Here, thetemperature of the heater 207 is set such that the temperature of thewafer 200 is a temperature within a range of, for example, 150 to 250°C.

<Step S106)>

In step S106 (FIGS. 16 and 17, a second process), after thezirconium-containing layer is formed, the valve 243 a is closed and thevalve 243 d is opened to stop the supply of the TEMAZ gas into theprocess chamber 201, and the TEMAZ gas flows through the vent line 232d. Here, the inside of the process chamber 201 is vacuum-exhausted bythe vacuum pump 246 in a state in which the APC valve 244 of the gasexhaust pipe 231 is open, and the TEMAZ gas that is not reacted or hascontributed to formation of the zirconium-containing layer and remainsin the process chamber 201 is removed from the process chamber 201. Inaddition, here, supply of the N₂ gas into the process chamber 201 ismaintained in a state in which the valve 243 c is open. Accordingly, aneffect of removing the TEMAZ gas that is not reacted or has contributedto formation of the zirconium-containing layer and remains in theprocess chamber 201 from the inside of the process chamber 201 isimproved. A rare gas such as Ar gas, He gas, Ne gas, Xe gas, or thelike, in addition to the N₂ gas may be used as the inert gas.

<Step S107)>

In step S107 (FIGS. 16 and 17, a third process), after removing theremaining gas in the process chamber 201, the O₂ gas flows into the gassupply pipe 232 b. The O₂ gas flowing through the gas supply pipe 232 bbecomes O₃ gas in the ozonizer 500. As the valve 243 f and the valve 243b of the gas supply pipe 232 b are opened and the valve 243 g of thevent line 232 g is closed, the O₃ gas flowing through the gas supplypipe 232 b is flow-rate-controlled by the mass flow controller 241 b,supplied into the process chamber 201 from the gas supply hole 250 b ofthe nozzle 249 b, and exhausted from the gas exhaust pipe 231. Here,simultaneously, the valve 243 e is opened, and the N₂ gas flows into theinert gas supply pipe 232 e. The N₂ gas is supplied into the processchamber 201 and exhausted from the gas exhaust pipe 231 with the O₃ gas.As the O₃ gas is supplied into the process chamber 201, thezirconium-containing layer formed on the wafer 200 is reacted with theO₃ gas to form a ZrO layer.

When the O₃ gas flows, the APC valve 244 is appropriately adjusted suchthat the pressure in the process chamber 201 arrives at a pressurewithin a range of, for example, 50 to 400 Pa. A supply flow rate of theO₃ gas controlled by the mass flow controller 241 b is set to a flowrate within a range of, for example, 10 to 20 slm. A time in which thewafer 200 is exposed to the O₃ gas, i.e., a gas supply time (anirradiation time) is set to a time within a range of, for example, 60 to300 seconds. Here, the temperature of the heater 207 is set such thatthe temperature of the wafer 200 is set to a temperature within a rangeof 150 to 250° C. similar to step 105.

<Step S108)>

In step S108 (FIGS. 16 and 17, a fourth process), the valve 243 b of thegas supply pipe 232 b is closed and the valve 243 g is opened to stopthe supply of the O₃ gas into the process chamber 201, and the O₃ gasflows through the vent line 232 g. Here, the inside of the processchamber 201 is vacuum-exhausted by the vacuum pump 246 in a state inwhich the APC valve 244 of the gas exhaust pipe 231 is open, the O₃ gasthat is not reacted or has contributed to oxidation and remains in theprocess chamber 201 is removed from the process chamber 201. Inaddition, here, supply of the N₂ gas into the process chamber 201 ismaintained in a state in which the valve 243 e is open. Accordingly, aneffect of removing the O₃ gas that is not reacted or has contributed tooxidation and remains in the process chamber 201 from the inside of theprocess chamber 201 is increased. In addition to the O₃ gas, the O₂ gasor the like may be used as the oxygen-containing gas.

As the above-mentioned steps S105 to S108 are set as one cycle and thecycle is performed at least one time (step S109), an insulating filmcontaining zirconium and oxygen and having a predetermined filmthickness, i.e., a ZrO film, can be formed on the wafer 200. Inaddition, the above-mentioned cycle may be repeated a plurality oftimes. Accordingly, a deposition film of the ZrO film is formed on thewafer 200.

After forming the ZrO film, the valve 243 a of the gas supply pipe 232 ais closed, the valve 243 b of the gas supply pipe 232 b is closed, thevalve 243 c of the inert gas supply pipe 232 c is opened, the valve 243e of the inert gas supply pipe 232 e is opened, and the N₂ gas flowsinto the process chamber 201. The N₂ gas serves as a purge gas, and thusthe inside of the process chamber 201 is purged with an inert gas toremove the gas remaining in the process chamber 201 from the processchamber 201 (purge, step S110). After that, the atmosphere in theprocess chamber 201 is replaced with the inert gas, and the pressure inthe process chamber 201 returns to a normal pressure (return to anatmospheric pressure, step S111).

After that, the seal cap 219 is lowered by the boat elevator 115 and alower end of a manifold 209 is opened, and simultaneously, the processedwafer 200, which is held by the boat 217, is unloaded from the lower endof the manifold 209 to the outside of the reaction tube 203 (boatunloading, step S112). Next, the processed wafer 200 is discharged fromthe boat 217 (wafer discharge, step S112).

Example 1

The film-forming of the ZrO film was performed using the substrateprocessing furnace of the above-mentioned embodiment. In addition, forthe purpose of comparison, the film-forming of the ZrO film wasperformed without installing the mist filter 300. In the configurationin which the mist filter 300 was not installed, the film-forming wasperformed under conditions in which an evaporation source material TEMAZwas 0.45 g, a supply time was 300 sec, and a cycle number was 75 cycles.Step coverage in the film-forming was 81%. On the other hand, in theconfiguration in which the mist filter 300 was installed, since anevaporation flow rate could be increased, when the film-forming wasperformed under conditions in which the evaporation source materialTEMAZ was 3 g, the supply time was 60 sec, and the cycle number was 75cycles, the step coverage was 91%, which led to improvement of the stepcoverage. In addition, generation of the particles could be suppressed.

As described above specifically, when the liquid source that cannot beeasily evaporated is used or a large evaporation flow rate is needed inthe exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the bad evaporationcan be suppressed. As a result, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The gas filter clogging can be suppressed, and the maintenance canbe reduced or the filter exchange period can be increased.

(2) The film-forming in which the particles are removed or suppressedcan be performed.

(3) Step coverage of the pattern wafer is improved.

While the film-forming of the ZrO film has been performed in theabove-mentioned embodiment, the technique using the mist filter 300 maybe applied to other types of films, for example, a high permittivity(high-k) film such as ZrO, HfO, or the like, or a kind of film using anevaporator (in particular, a kind of film using a gas that can easilycause bad evaporation or requiring a large flow rate). In particular,the technique using the mist filter 300 may be applied to a kind of filmusing liquid source having a vapor pressure.

The technique using the mist filter 300 may be applied to the case offorming a metal carbide film of a metal nitride film including at leastone metal element such as titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), cobalt (Co),tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), ruthenium (Ru), yttrium (Y), lanthanum(La), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), nickel (Ni), or the like, or asilicide film in which silicon (Si) is added to the above-mentionedfilm. Here, titanium chloride (TiCl₄), tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium(TDMAT, Ti[N(CH₃)₂]₄), tetrakis(diethylamino)titanium (TDEAT,Ti[N(CH₂CH₃)₂]₄), or the like, may be used as a Ti-containing sourcematerial, tantalum chloride (TaCl₄) or the like may be used as aTa-containing source material, Co(AMD)[(tBu)NC(CH₃)N(tBu)₂Co] or thelike may be used as a Co-containing source material, tungsten fluoride(WF₆) or the like may be used as a W-containing source material,molybdenum chloride (MoCl₃ or MoCl₅) or the like may be used as aMo-containing source material,2,4-dimethlypentadienyl(ethylcyclopentadienyl)ruthenium[Ru(EtCp)(C₇H₁₁)]or the like may be used as a Ru-containing source material,trisethylcyclopentadienylyttrium [Y(C₂H₅C₅H₄)₃] or the like may be usedas an Y-containing source material,trisisopropylcyclopentadienyllanthanum[La(i-C₃H₇C₅H₄)₃] or the like maybe used as a La-containing source material,tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)zirconium[Zr(N[CH₃(C₂H₅)]₄)] or the like maybe used as a Zr-containing source material,tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)hafnium [Hf(N[CH₃(C₂H₅)]₄)] or the like may beused as a Hf-containing source material, nickelamidinate (NiAMD),cyclopentadienylallylnickel (C₅H₅NiC₃H₅),methylcyclopentadienylallylnickel[(CH₃)C₅H₄NiC₃H₅],ethylcyclopentadienylallylnickel [(C₂H₅)C₅H₄NiC₃H₅], Ni(PF₃)₄ or thelike may be used as a Ni-containing source material, andtetrachlorosilane (SiCl₄), hexachlorodisilane (Si₂Cl₆), dichlorosilane(SiH₂Cl₂), trisdimethyl aminosilane (SiH[N(CH₃)₂]₃),bis-tertiary-butyl-amino-silane (H₂Si[HNC(CH₃]₂) or the like may be usedas a Si-containing source material.

TiCN, TiAlC, or the like may be used as a metal carbide film containingTi. For example, TiCl₄, Hf[C₅H₄(CH₃)]₂(CH₃)₂ and NH₃ may be used as asource material of TiCN. In addition, for example, TiCl₄ andtrimethylaluminum (TMA, (CH₃)₃Al) may be used as a source material ofTiAlC. Further, TiCl₄, TMA and propylene (C₃H₆) may be used as a sourcematerial of TiAlC. Furthermore, TiAlN or the like may be used as a metalnitride film containing Ti. For example, TiCl₄, TMA and NH₃ may be usedas a source material of TiAlN.

According to the present invention, an amount of particles generatedwhen liquid source is used can be suppressed, and the liquid source canbe efficiently evaporated to be supplied into a process chamber.

(Exemplary Modes of the Invention)

Hereinafter, exemplary modes of the present invention will besupplementarily stated.

(Supplementary Note 1)

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (a) loadinga substrate into a process chamber; (b) evaporating a source material bysequentially flowing the source material to an evaporator and a mistfilter including one or more first plates and one or more second plates;(c) supplying the source material evaporated in the step (b) into theprocess chamber to process the substrate; and (d) unloading thesubstrate from the process chamber, wherein each of the one or morefirst plates includes one or more first holes, and each of the one ormore second plates includes one or more second holes disposed atdifferent positions from those of the one or more first holes.

(Supplementary Note 2)

The method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according toSupplementary Note 1, wherein the one or more first holes are disposednear an outer circumference of each of the one or more first plates, theone or more second holes are disposed near a center of each of the oneor more second plates, and the one or more first plates and the one ormore second plates are alternately disposed, and wherein the step (b)includes evaporating the source material passed through the evaporatorby alternately flowing the source material through the one or more firstholes and the one or more second holes.

(Supplementary Note 3)

The method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according toSupplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the step (b) includes evaporating thesource material sequentially flown through the evaporator and the mistfilter by further flowing the source material through a gas filter.

(Supplementary Note 4)

A method of manufacturing a substrate, including: (a) loading asubstrate into a process chamber; (b) evaporating a source material bysequentially flowing the source material to an evaporator and a mistfilter including one or more first plates and one or more second plates;(c) supplying the source material evaporated in the step (b) into theprocess chamber to process the substrate; and (d) unloading thesubstrate from the process chamber, wherein each of the one or morefirst plates includes one or more first holes, and each of the one ormore second plates includes one or more second holes disposed atdifferent positions from those of the one or more first holes.

(Supplementary Note 5)

The method of manufacturing the substrate according to SupplementaryNote 4, wherein the one or more first holes are disposed near an outercircumference of each of the one or more first plates, the one or moresecond holes are disposed near a center of each of the one or moresecond plates, and the one or more first plates and the one or moresecond plates are alternately disposed, and wherein the step (b)includes evaporating the source material passed through the evaporatorby alternately flowing the source material through the one or more firstholes and the one or more second holes.

(Supplementary Note 6)

The method of manufacturing the semiconductor device according toSupplementary Note 4 or 5, wherein the step (b) includes evaporating thesource material sequentially flown through the evaporator and the mistfilter by further flowing the source material through a gas filter.

(Supplementary Note 7)

A program performed by a control unit, the program including thesequences of: (a) loading a substrate into a process chamber; (b)evaporating a source material by sequentially flowing the sourcematerial to an evaporator and a mist filter including one or more firstplates and one or more second plates; (c) supplying the source materialevaporated in the step (b) into the process chamber to process thesubstrate; and (d) unloading the substrate from the process chamber,wherein each of the one or more first plates includes one or more firstholes, and each of the one or more second plates includes one or moresecond holes disposed at different positions from those of the one ormore first holes.

(Supplementary Note 8)

The program according to Supplementary Note 7, wherein the one or morefirst holes are disposed near an outer circumference of each of the oneor more first plates, the one or more second holes are disposed near acenter of each of the one or more second plates, and the one or morefirst plates and the one or more second plates are alternately disposed,and wherein the step (b) includes evaporating the source material passedthrough the evaporator by alternately flowing the source materialthrough the one or more first holes and the one or more second holes.

(Supplementary Note 9)

The program according to Supplementary Note 7, wherein the sequence (b)includes evaporating the source material sequentially flown through theevaporator and the mist filter by further flowing the source materialthrough a gas filter.

(Supplementary Note 10)

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which a programperformed by a control unit is recorded, the program including thesequences of: (a) loading a substrate into a process chamber; (b)evaporating a source material by sequentially flowing the sourcematerial to an evaporator and a mist filter including one or more firstplates and one or more second plates; (c) supplying the source materialevaporated in the step (b) into the process chamber to process thesubstrate; and (d) unloading the substrate from the process chamber,wherein each of the one or more first plates includes one or more firstholes, and each of the one or more second plates includes one or moresecond holes disposed at different positions from those of the one ormore first holes.

(Supplementary Note 11)

The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according toSupplementary Note 10, wherein the one or more first holes are disposednear an outer circumference of each of the one or more first plates, theone or more second holes are disposed near a center of each of the oneor more second plates, and the one or more first plates and the one ormore second plates are alternately disposed, and wherein the step (b)includes evaporating the source material passed through the evaporatorby alternately flowing the source material through the one or more firstholes and the one or more second holes.

(Supplementary Note 12)

The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according toSupplementary Note 10, wherein the sequence (b) includes evaporating thesource material sequentially flown through the evaporator and the mistfilter by further flowing the source material through a gas filter.

(Supplementary Note 13)

A substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber configuredto accommodate a substrate; a process gas supply system configured tosupply a process gas into the process chamber; and an exhaust systemconfigured to exhaust the process chamber, wherein the process gassupply system includes: an evaporator configured to receive a sourcematerial; and a mist filter disposed at a downstream side of theevaporator, and including one or more first plates and one or moresecond plates, wherein each of the one or more first plates includes oneor more first holes, and each of the one or more second plates includesone or more second holes disposed at different positions from those ofthe one or more first holes.

(Supplementary Note 14)

The substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 13,wherein the one or more first holes are disposed near an outercircumference of each of the one or more first plates, the one or moresecond holes are disposed near a center of each of the one or moresecond plates, and the one or more first plates and the one or moresecond plates are alternately disposed.

(Supplementary Note 15)

The substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 13 or14, wherein the process gas supply system further includes a gas filterdisposed at a downstream side of the mist filter.

(Supplementary Note 16)

The substrate processing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 15,wherein the evaporator, the mist filter and the gas filter are separatefrom one another.

(Supplementary Note 17)

The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of SupplementaryNotes 13 to 16, wherein the mist filter further includes a heaterconfigured to heat the one or more first plates and the one or moresecond plates.

(Supplementary Note 18)

The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of SupplementaryNotes 13 to 17, wherein each of the one or more first plates and the oneor more second plates includes a metal.

(Supplementary Note 19)

The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of SupplementaryNotes 13 to 18, wherein a shape of each of the one or more first platesis same as that of each of the one or more second plates except for theone or more first holes and the one or more second holes.

(Supplementary Note 20)

The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of SupplementaryNotes 13 to 19, wherein each of the one or more first plates and the oneor more second plates includes a plate section including one of the oneor more first holes and the one or more second holes; and an outercircumferential section disposed at an outer circumference of the platesection, the outer circumferential section being thicker than the platesection, and

the outer circumferential section of one of the one or more first platesis in contact with the outer circumferential section of one of the oneor more second plates adjacent to the outer circumferential section ofthe one of the one or more first plates in a manner that a space isprovided between the plate section of the one of the one or more firstplates and the plate section of the one of the one or more secondplates.

(Supplementary Note 21)

The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of SupplementaryNotes 13 to 20, wherein a stepped portion is provided between a sidesurface of the outer circumferential section and a side surface of theplate section.

(Supplementary Note 22)

The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of SupplementaryNotes 13 to 21, wherein a sintered metal is filled between the one ormore first plates and the one or more second plates.

(Supplementary Note 23)

The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of SupplementaryNotes 13 to 22, wherein the process gas is a zirconium-containing sourcematerial.

(Supplementary Note 24)

An evaporation system including: an evaporator configured to receive asource material; and a mist filter disposed at a downstream side of theevaporator and including one or more first plates and one or more secondplates, wherein each of the one or more first plates includes one ormore first holes, and each of the one or more second plates includes oneor more second holes disposed at different positions from those of theone or more first holes.

(Supplementary Note 25)

The evaporation system according to Supplementary Note 24, wherein theone or more first holes are disposed near an outer circumference of eachof the one or more first plates, the one or more second holes aredisposed near a center of each of the one or more second plates, and theone or more first plates and the one or more second plates arealternately disposed.

(Supplementary Note 26)

The evaporation system according to Supplementary Note 24 or 25, furtherincluding a gas filter disposed at a downstream side of the mist filter.

(Supplementary Note 27)

The evaporation system according to Supplementary Note 26, theevaporator, the mist filter and the gas filter are separate from oneanother.

(Supplementary Note 28)

The evaporation system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 24 to27, wherein the mist filter further includes a heater configured to heatthe one or more first plates and the one or more second plates.

(Supplementary Note 29)

A mist filter constituted by assembling a plurality of at least twotypes of plates including holes disposed at different positions.

(Supplementary Note 30)

The mist filter according to Supplementary Note 29, wherein the mistfilter is constituted by alternately disposing a first plate in which aplurality of holes are disposed near an outer circumference thereof anda second plate in which a plurality of holes are disposed near a centerthereof.

(Supplementary Note 31)

The mist filter according to Supplementary Notes 29 or 30, including aheater configured to heat the at least two types of plates.

Hereinabove, while various exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention have been described, the present invention is not limitedthereto. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is limited byonly the scopes of the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device,comprising: (a) loading a substrate into a process chamber; (b)evaporating a source material by sequentially flowing the source to anevaporator and a mist filter comprising one or more first plates and oneor more second plates; (c) supplying the source material evaporated inthe step (b) into the process chamber to process the substrate; and (d)unloading the substrate from the process chamber, wherein each of theone or more first plates comprises one or more first holes, and each ofthe one or more second plates comprises one or more second holesdisposed at different positions from those of the one or more firstholes.
 2. The method of manufacturing the semiconductor device of claim1, wherein the one or more first holes are disposed near an outercircumference of each of the one or more first plates, the one or moresecond holes are disposed near a center of each of the one or moresecond plates, and the one or more first plates and the one or moresecond plates are alternately disposed, and wherein the step (b)comprises evaporating the source material passed through the evaporatorby alternately flowing the source material through the one or more firstholes and the one or more second holes.
 3. The method of manufacturingthe semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the step (b) comprisesevaporating the source material sequentially flown through theevaporator and the mist filter by further flowing the source materialthrough a gas filter.
 4. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: aprocess chamber configured to accommodate a substrate; a process gassupply system configured to supply a process gas into the processchamber; and an exhaust system configured to exhaust the processchamber, wherein the process gas supply system comprises: an evaporatorconfigured to receive a source material; and a mist filter disposed at adownstream side of the evaporator, and comprising one or more firstplates and one or more second plates, wherein each of the one or morefirst plates comprises one or more first holes, and each of the one ormore second plates comprises one or more second holes disposed atdifferent positions from those of the one or more first holes.
 5. Thesubstrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more firstholes are disposed near an outer circumference of each of the one ormore first plates, the one or more second holes are disposed near acenter of each of the one or more second plates, and the one or morefirst plates and the one or more second plates are alternately disposed.6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processgas supply system further comprises a gas filter disposed at adownstream side of the mist filter.
 7. The substrate processingapparatus of claim 6, wherein the evaporator, the mist filter and thegas filter are separate from one another.
 8. The substrate processingapparatus of claim 4, wherein the mist filter further comprises a heaterconfigured to heat the one or more first plates and the one or moresecond plates.
 9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, whereineach of the one or more first plates and the one or more second platescomprises a metal.
 10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4,wherein a shape of each of the one or more first plates is same as thatof each of the one or more second plates except for the one or morefirst holes and the one or more second holes.
 11. The substrateprocessing apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more firstplates and the one or more second plates comprises a plate sectioncomprising one of the one or more first holes and the one or more secondholes; and an outer circumferential section disposed at an outercircumference of the plate section, the outer circumferential sectionbeing thicker than the plate section, and the outer circumferentialsection of one of the one or more first plates is in contact with theouter circumferential section of one of the one or more second platesadjacent to the outer circumferential section of the one of the one ormore first plates in a manner that a space is provided between the platesection of the one of the one or more first plates and the plate sectionof the one of the one or more second plates.
 12. The substrateprocessing apparatus of claim 11, wherein a stepped portion is providedbetween a side surface of the outer circumferential section and a sidesurface of the plate section.
 13. The substrate processing apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein a sintered metal is filled between the one or morefirst plates and the one or more second plates.
 14. An evaporationsystem comprising: an evaporator configured to receive a sourcematerial; and a mist filter disposed at a downstream side of theevaporator and comprising one or more first plates and one or moresecond plates, wherein each of the one or more first plates comprisesone or more first holes, and each of the one or more second platescomprises one or more second holes disposed at different positions fromthose of the one or more first holes.
 15. The evaporation system ofclaim 14, wherein the one or more first holes are disposed near an outercircumference of each of the one or more first plates, the one or moresecond holes are disposed near a center of each of the one or moresecond plates, and the one or more first plates and the one or moresecond plates are alternately disposed.
 16. The evaporation system ofclaim 15, further comprising a gas filter disposed at a downstream sideof the mist filter.
 17. The evaporation system of claim 16, wherein theevaporator, the mist filter and the gas filter are separate from oneanother.
 18. The evaporation system of claim 14, wherein the mist filterfurther comprises a heater configured to heat the one or more firstplates and the one or more second plates.